- In February 2016, Trilantic North America made a minority growth equity investment in 24-7 Intouch, with founders Greg and Jeff Fettes retaining control.
- The capital was intended to accelerate scaling through added capacity, technology investment, management hires, and global expansion.
- Post-investment, the company expanded via acquisitions (Knoah in 2020 and Goodbay in 2021) and broadened digital and analytics capabilities.
- By 2023 it rebranded as IntouchCX, operating with over 20,000 employees across nine countries and positioning as a global CX innovator.
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The 2016 minority investment by Trilantic North America in 24-7 Intouch reflects a classic growth equity partnership: founders retain control, while the PE firm provides capital, strategic support, and resources to accelerate scale. The absence of disclosed deal size is typical for minority recapitalizations in mid-market BPOs, but several corroborated facts offer insight into the transaction’s nature.
24-7 Intouch, headquartered in Winnipeg, was operating nine customized facilities across North America and Guatemala, with over 4,000 service seats and a reputation strong in inbound contact center work and multi-channel (voice, social, email, chat) outsourcing as of 2016. The goals stated in the announcement—investing in technology, facilities and leadership—aligned with the trend of outsourcers moving up the value chain towards digital and omnichannel customer experience. Trilantic’s capital appears intended to support such moves.
Subsequent developments indicate that the investment has been well leveraged. The firm has engaged in several acquisitions (Goodbay Technologies in 2021, Knoah Solutions in 2020) that expanded its digital solutions, global footprint, and employee base. By 2023 the company rebranded to IntouchCX, emphasizing customer experience innovations, technological differentiation, and global operations in multiple countries. These moves validate the strategy expressed at the time of Trilantic’s entry. This kind of transformation suggests a successful scaling journey, blending operational scaling with capability expansion.
Strategic implications for investors include:
- Minority recapitalizations can be powerful mechanisms to help founder-led companies scale without ceding control, especially in high growth service businesses focused on tech and digital customer experience.
- Operational expansion (globally and by channel) plus capability building (technology, AI, analytics) are key to maintaining differentiation in BPO / CX services.
- M&A plays a reinforcing role in such growth trajectories: acquiring complementary capabilities helps accelerate strategy execution more than organic growth alone.
Open questions remain, such as the financial performance post-investment (margin expansion, revenue growth), the ultimate exit or further investors’ stakes, and how IntouchCX is navigating macro pressures like wage inflation, labour supply shortages, and increasing automation or AI in customer service.
Supporting Notes
- Trilantic acquired a minority stake in 24-7 Intouch in early February 2016; Greg Fettes (CEO) and Jeff Fettes (COO) remained majority shareholders and in control.
- At the time, 24-7 Intouch operated over 4,000 seats in nine customized facilities in North America and Guatemala.
- The investment was positioned to support scaling operations: investment in technology, new facilities, management talent, and global expansion.
- In 2020, 24-7 Intouch acquired Knoah Solutions, adding sites in India, Honduras, Guatemala, and expanding its language/geographic service capabilities.
- In 2021, it acquired Goodbay Technologies to bolster its digital and analytics capability, especially for verticals like gaming and consumer technology.
- By early 2023, the company rebranded as IntouchCX, operating globally—including in India, the Philippines, Greece, Colombia, Jamaica—and offering new solution offerings in CX, AI, language services, and work-from-anywhere models.